Over 80 Years on the Road of Songun Revolution

THE Democratic People’s Republic of Korea marks the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army.

President Kim Il Sung, the founding father of socialist Korea, began his Songun-based revolutionary leadership by organising the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA), the predecessor of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), on April 25 1932.

For over 80 years since its founding, the KPA has adorned the history of Songun revolution with victory and glory.

It has achieved heroic feats and great victory unequalled in the world history of anti-imperialist struggle.

In the days when Korea was under military occupation of the Japanese imperialists (1905-1945), the KPRA waged an arduous armed struggle against them without any state backing and support from regular armed forces, and defeated the Japanese imperialists, who had styled themselves as the “leader” of Asia, thus achieving the cause of national liberation (August 15, 1945).

After the liberation, the KPRA developed into the regular armed forces, the Korean People’s Army.

When the United States started a war (June 1950-July 1953) against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which was founded on September 9 1948, in its attempt to stifle it in its cradle, the KPA shattered to smithereens the myth of “mightiness” of the US that boasted of being “the strongest” in the world and defended with honour the freedom and independence of the country.

Though the United States had mobilised in the Korean war its huge armed forces, troops from its 15 vassal states, the south Korean army and the remnants of the former Japanese army, it could not but sign the Armistice Agreement, which was as good as an instrument of surrender.

After the war, critical situations were created in succession on the Korean peninsula, owing to the provocations by the US, including the US armed spy ship Pueblo Incident (January 1968), the large espionage aircraft EC-121 Incident (April 1969) and, the Panmunjom Incident (August 1976).

Every time the KPA inflicted merciless defeats upon the provokers and safeguarded the security of the country and the gains of the revolution.

In the closing years of the last century socialism collapsed in several countries and, taking advantage of this, the allied imperialist forces concentrated their political and military offensives upon the DPRK. Coping with these worst trials, Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defence Commission held higher the banner of Songun and gave top priority to building up the country’s military capabilities.

As a result, the KPA has developed into an elite army, which is the strongest in ideology and faith and an invincible armed force which is equipped with state-of-the-art offensive and defensive means with which to repel any aggressors at a single stroke.

In recent years, the US has brought dark clouds of a nuclear war over the Korean peninsula by staging various large-scale joint military exercises and enlisting in them a huge amount of troops and advanced military hardware more than enough to fight a war.

The KPA, however, has reliably defended the national sovereignty and socialism of the DPRK and peace and security of the region.

The international community, an eye-witness to these realities, has more keenly felt that the KPA has always emerged victorious in the struggle against imperialism.

The KPA has made a great contribution to strengthening the country’s political and ideological position in every way, performing its role of the pillar and main force of the revolution.

As everybody knows, the main cause for the collapse of socialism in several countries in the closing years of the last century cannot be explained by the weakness in their military capabilities or economic strength; it must be sought in their weak political and ideological position.

The DPRK, however, has constantly built up its political and ideological position by dint of unity between the army and people based on one ideology.

The traditional army-people unity of the DPRK has developed onto a higher level from generation to generation.

The army and people are not only helping and loving each other but also have achieved oneness in ideological and spiritual traits and work style.

Noteworthy in this regard is the fact that the army-people unity of the DPRK is based on the revolutionary spirit created and being displayed by the service persons.

Because of oneness in ideology and work style of the army and people based on the revolutionary soldier spirit, the political and ideological position of Korean society has been strengthened beyond comparison, and thanks to this rock-solid position, socialist Korea is winning one victory after another without the slightest vacillation in spite of all obstacles.

The KPA has also wrought miracles and performed feats in socialist construction, fulfilling its role as the main force.

“Let us take upon ourselves both national defence and socialist construction!”- this is the slogan the KPA soldiers have upheld in developing ore and coal mines and building power stations, factories and other industrial enterprises, schools, hospitals and theatres.

They have always made breakthroughs in the postwar reconstruction, socialist construction and building a thriving nation, holding aloft this slogan, thus laying the eternal foundations of a prospering country.

In 2013 alone, they erected the world-class Munsu Water Park, Mirim Riding Club and other bases for mass cultural and emotional life, and Okryu Children’s Hospital, Ryugyong Dental Hospital and other medical bases.

The Unha Scientists Street for scientists and technicians, apartment buildings for educationalists of Kim Il Sung University and other homes of the people built across the country are also associated with the service personnel’s feats of labour and precious sweat.

They have recently built the world-class Masikryong Ski Resort. They completed this gigantic project that was expected by common sense to take more than ten years, in a short span of time by creating “the Masikryong speed” never known in history.

Supreme leader Kim Jong Un of the DPRK visited the completed ski resort at the end of last year and highly appreciated the soldier-builders, saying the People’s Army had done a great work.

Along with the victorious Songun revolution, the proud history of the KPA will continue. – Embassy of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.